Third Universe
by nermansherman
Summary: A girl has appeared, saying she has magic but can't use it. Will Fairy Tail help her? Will she find friends? Love? And, most importantly, adventure? (Doctor Who characters are mentioned, but they are OOC)
1. Chapter 1: I Have Magic?

I was walking to the bookstore to get a book when a whooshing sound filled the air. I looked to see if anyone reacted to it. Either no one but me heard it, or the people on the street didn't care. Only I was looking around. Turning in the direction of the bookstore, I gasped. There was a blue box between the bakery and the florist's. It fit snugly in the gap, with no room to move.

Suddenly, a man dressed in a brown pinstripe suit and a brown trenchcoat stepped out. "Hello, there," he said in a strange accent I had never heard before. I stared at him. The people on the street didn't notice him, just like with the whooshing noise. I had stopped moving, and they flowed around me like a river. He motioned for me to go to him.

Hesitantly, I walked up to him. He smiled kindly and held the door open for me as i walked through. Once inside, he spoke. "Hello. Wait, I already said that, didn't I? Anyways, I'm the Doctor. Not Doctor of anything, really. I guess saving people?" He shook his head as if to rid himself of getting off topic. "Sorry, I tend to do that. But since you know who I am, who are you?"

"My name is Diane Skylar. Why didn't anyone see you or hear your box?" I asked, guessing the sound came from the box appearing. "The real question is: How did _you_ see and hear me?" The Doctor replied. "Both me and the box (as you so lovingly referred to her as) are warded so no one can see us."

"Then how come I can?" I pushed. "I honestly don't know. Unless…" He trailed off. "No, that can't be it. It must be a fluke." "Unless what?" I asked, annoyed that he didn't answer my question. "Unless you're a Time Lady," the Doctor finished. Before I could ask another question, he held up his hand. "Obviously, though, you can't be. All of the Time Lords and Ladies were sealed away."

"STOP SAYING THINGS I DON'T UNDERSTAND AND SPEAK LIKE A NORMAL HUMAN BEING!" I exclaimed, strangely angered. The Doctor stared, not even blinking. "...D-Doctor? This isn't funny…. Stop it!" As soon as I said the word "stop" the Doctor started blinking. I gasped, and stumbled backwards. "What?" he inquired, concerned. "Y-you…. I just….. You kinda, I don't know how to say this, but you didn't move." I answered.

All the color left his face. "Maybe you are…." he mumbled. Then, louder, he said,"Did you say the word 'stop', freeze', or 'pause'? I think you just froze time." I was stunned. I mean, I knew magic existed, but I'd gone all sixteen years of my life with nothing. Now, this strange man I've known for all of five minutes is telling me I froze time? I started to feel light headed and swayed a bit. Then, I found myself staring at the ceiling and the Doctor yelling my name. But before I knew it, the ceiling turned black and the Doctor's shouting faded into silence.

I groaned. I had a killer headache. I blinked and was blinded by the bright lights in the room I was in. "D-Doctor?" I whispered, my throat too dry to go any louder. "Diane! You're awake!" he exclaimed. I must have looked as confused as I felt because he continued. "After freezing time, your body was not strong enough to withstand using magic for the first time. Thus, you passed out. But I am pretty impressed that you froze time for a couple seconds. I've been training for hundreds of years and can barely go over two minutes." He shook his head again, just like earlier, to get rid of the off topic thoughts. "Here, let's sit you up and get some food in you. You're probably starving."

Then the Doctor gently put one hand under my knees and the other under my back. Without much help from me, he managed to get me into a sitting position. "Don't go anywhere," he said as he turned to get me food. "Where would I go?" I asked. He just sighed. Seconds later, he returned with a tray of two glasses of water and some kind of meat. I dug in and the Doctor watched, amused. "While you're eating, I'll tell you some things. First, I'd like to teach you magic." I nearly choked, surprised. "We use the same type of magic: Time and Space magic. It would be beneficial to both us and the world if I taught you. Me, because I'd be able to use magic and have company, you, because magic is cool and you could join a guild, and the world because we can't have you going around and accidentally freezing time." I nodded agreement that I would train with him. He beamed.

"Alright, second, after you can walk, you'll need to get a tour of my, ahem, box. She's a lot bigger than you think. Third, after you've taken a tour, I'll show you your room and closet!" The Doctor seemed so excited about the prospect of me living here with him that I couldn't help but laugh. "I think I might be strong enough to walk now. My headache's gone and I feel good. Let's go on that tour now," I suggested. He helped me stand and I leaned on him a little. As he showed me around, though, I walked by myself.

"...and here is your room. Mine is the door on the right." The Doctor finished up his tour. "Go on, open the door." I did, and was blown away at how _me_ it was. There was a large bookcase filled with my favorites on one wall, with a desk next to it. Across the room was another door and a bed. On the wall opposite the door I was standing in, there was a bay window. It currently showed a meadow. Seconds later, it changed to a small village. In the middle of the room was a giant circular rug that looked like a clock face surrounded by the night sky. I walked in, and realized the one wall I hadn't seen was blank. Oddly, it was painted white, while the other walls were cerulean.

"It's a whiteboard wall," The Doctor explained. "Through the other door is a bathroom. Through the bathroom is your closet." Then he left the room. I walked into the bathroom, surprised by how well it was stocked. But the bathroom was nothing compared to the closet.

The closet was a giant room filled with clothes of every kind, organized by color. The racks could change places, as I discovered, after poking some buttons on the wall. About half the room was dedicated to clothes, the other half to shoes and makeup. The makeup would remain untouched. I looked through all of the clothes, and picked out a white tee, black leggings, brown ankle boots, and some kind of belt that had a galaxy colored skirt attached. I didn't know what was up with that, but it looked cool. It was really short in the front, and got longer in the back. It complemented the shirt and leggings, as well as my light brown hair. I left my room and knocked on the Doctor's door. "Can we start training?" I asked as soon as he opened the door.

Over the next few years, that whiteboard wall became filled with different spells to practice from the Doctor and little doodles from me. Eventually, though, he decided that I had become strong enough to leave the TARDIS (that's the name of the box) and join a guild. He cast a spell on me that reverted me back to age sixteen. Then the Doctor sent us back through time to a minute after I joined him in the box. I was sad to leave, but excited to join a guild. I'd had my eye on one for a while, and thought they would let me become a member.

The Doctor and I hugged and he said he would check in on me when he could. Then, he told me something that didn't make sense. "Diane, in order for you to know Time and Space magic when you leave, I'll have to cast a memory spell on you. Don't worry, though, it's relatively simple. I will write a phrase on your right hand. On your left, I will write the instructions. I can't tell you, or it would counteract the spell. Now, go!" I hadn't noticed that in the time he was talking he had written on my hands. I stumbled onto the street and turned just in time to see the Doctor disappear. Before I walked any farther, I looked at my left hand.

' _Go find a safe place where your magic can either be contained or not seen. Maybe a guild hall. Once you get there, tell any people nearby to be careful. Then, read what's on your right hand aloud. DO NOT READ IT BEFORE.'_

I knew of one guild hall in all of Magnolia, and set off in that direction. Even from three blocks away I could see the bright orange flag that flew on the top of the building. Once I reached the doors, my confidence faltered. What if they didn't accept me? What if I accidentally hurt someone in the release of power? ' _Calm yourself, Diane,'_ I thought. They would help me. Fairy Tail wasn't just known for destruction. They were also known for their kindness.

Taking a deep breath, I knocked on the door. A couple seconds later, it was answered by a white haired woman in a magenta dress. "Hello!" she said cheerfully. "Come in!" Then she opened the door wider and held it for me as I walked through. "My name's Mirajane, but you can call me Mira. What's yours?"

"My name's Diane. I was wondering if you could help me out. It's a really long story, one for another day, but a memory spell was cast on me so I wouldn't be able to use my magic unless I said a certain phrase. I was instructed to go to a safe place to release my magic, so I came here. Could I do that here?" I explained.

"Of course! Let me just warn the guild," Mira agreed. "FAIRY TAIL! LISTEN UP! WE HAVE A PERSON HERE WHO NEEDS OUR HELP, AND WE'RE GONNA HELP HER. EVERYONE MOVE EVERYTHING OUT OF THE MIDDLE OF THE ROOM. BE PREPARED FOR ANYTHING." Then, directing her voice back to me,"Alright, Diane. Do your thing."

I nodded gratefully to her, and walked to the center of the room. Everyone's eyes were on me as I began to read aloud _._

" _I control planets, suns, moons, and stars._

 _Time bends at my will._

 _My name is Diane,_

 _and I am a Time Lady."_

I closed my eyes, waiting for the magic to happen, but they itched to be open. I did so, and my vision became blindingly white. Then, everything _exploded_.

Groaning, I slowly opened my eyes. "Hi there," a high-pitched voice said. I looked to my left to find a young bluenette, maybe 12 years old. "My name's Wendy. I helped heal you after you exploded." "T-thanks," I replied weakly. "WENDY! She would have been just fine if you hadn't healed her! She was exhausted, not injured! Save your magic!" scolded a voice just as high as Wendy's.

"Sorry, Carla. It looked like she really needed help though," Wendy explained. She ducked down for a moment, and popped back up holding a white cat wearing a pink dress. I was about to question it, when a pink haired man came stumbling in.

"Wendy, I'm DYING! What is wrong with h-" he cut off. "She's awake. Hi, there. I'm Natsu!" I waved.

"I'm Diane. What were you yelling about before?" I asked. Natsu ducked his head.

"Your fire didn't taste good. It was really hard to eat."

"EAT?!"

"Yeah! I'm a fire dragon slayer, which means I eat fire to get more magic energy! Wendy here is a dragon slayer too! She eats air because she's a sky dragon slayer. Gajeel eats iron, but I don't think you met him yet."

"No, I didn't. But I think I do know why my fire didn't taste good. I use Time and Space magic, so my fire probably had some stuff you shouldn't eat in it."

"Natsu's eaten so many things he isn't supposed to eat!" Wendy giggled. "He once ate ethernano and was sick for days!" He winced, as if he felt like he ate ethernano again. A knock sounded at the door, and Mira popped her head in.

"How's our newest wizard doing?" she inquired. "Pretty good. A little tired, but I've felt that before. I don't know if it's too much to ask, but would Fairy Tail accept me as a member? I've been watching your guild as I trained with the Doctor."

"Of course you can join!"

"Yeah!"

"I'M ALL FIRED UP!" The three exclaimed in unison. Carla smiled and patted my hand. Mira turned and I got up to follow.

"What are you doing?!" screeched Mira. "Uh…. Following you?" I responded, confused.

"Aren't you injured?"

"Just tired, is all."

Mira sighed with relief and we all left the infirmary. We weaved our way through the guild hall, dodging Natsu and some black haired guy starting a screaming match. At the bar, Mira ducked behind it and grabbed a large stamp and a HUGE stack of paper.

"Where do you want it, and what color?" the silver-haired woman asked.

"Crook of my left arm. Could it be galaxy colored with a white rim? If not, then navy blue," I answered. She smiled and stamped me. Seconds later, there was a galaxy colored Fairy Tail emblem in the crook of my left arm. I couldn't believe it! I was a member of Fairy Tail!


	2. Chapter 2: Hello, everyone!

After all the commotion of me getting my emblem, the guild cheered as they had gotten a new family member. New faces introduced themselves to me, so fast that they all started to blur together.

"I'm Elfman! Joining Fairy Tail is MANLY!"

"Hello, I'm Lisanna. Pardon my brother. Welcome to the guild!"

"It's nice to meet you. My name is Erza. If Natsu or Gray bother you, tell me."

"E-Erza! That's not nice! I'm Gray, by the way."

"Juvia is pleased to make your acquaintance. DO NOT LOOK AT GRAY-SAMA, LOVE RIVAL!"

"Nice to meet you, I'm Lucy!"

"Hi! I'm Cana!"

I started to get overwhelmed by all the people. I could feel my breathing become erratic, almost hyperventilating.

"MIRA! WENDY! Is she okay?"

"EVERYONE BACK UP!" A familiar voice shouted. "I think you're scaring her!" While Mira kept the rest of the guild away, Wendy ran up to me.

"Hey, Diane. Are you okay?" she asked, concerned.

"I-I'm prone to p-panic at-t-tacks if I m-meet too many p-people o-or if I g-g-et too stressed…" I mumbled. The blunette rubbed my back a bit, then told this to Mira. Mira said something, but a buzzing filled my ears. Wendy noticed and grabbed my hand. Running me upstairs, only she, Carla, Mira, and some people named Happy and Lily were allowed up.

Carla went and got the people I hadn't met while Wendy stayed with me in a room. The only thing in there was a bed. She sat me down on it when Carla and two cats came in. One was blue and introduced himself as Happy. The other was black and said he was Pantherlily, but said I could call him Lily.

I reached for Happy, as I was reminded of my cat from childhood. Happy climbed onto the bed and let me hug him. I could feel his purring and it calmed me down. Then Lily and Carla came over, so I had three purring cats on my lap. I sighed, happy, and Wendy giggled. She left the room, probably to tell Mira I was okay.

I don't know how long I had been sitting with the cats, but Wendy came back in with Natsu and a tall man with long black hair.

"I'm Gajeel," he said, not seeming very happy. "Lily is my cat."

"Happy's mine!" Natsu chimed. "And Carla is Wendy's cat!"

"Do you want them back?" I asked, not really wanting to give them up, but prepared to do so.

"Oh, no!" Wendy answered quickly, glaring at Natsu and Gajeel. "You and the cats all seem happy. Just tell us when you've calmed down, and we'll try reintroducing you to everyone." I nodded.

"Alright. Just give me a couple more minutes and I should be good. When I was little and this happened, I just cuddled with my cat for a while until I felt better. Medicine did nothing to help, surprisingly. Only snuggling with Momo." I replied. Natsu's face lit up and he ran out of the room. After he left, I was slightly confused, but no longer panicky. I gently removed Happy, who had fallen asleep, and Lily and Carla went to their respective owners. We walk headed downstairs to try again.

Natsu's POV

(A/N: I'm probably not going to switch POV much, but I wanted ya'll to know this bit)

"MASTER!" I exclaimed as I barged into his office. "Can you call the Exceeds back? Diane had a panic attack and cats calm her down so I thought she should get her own!"

"Woah, woah, woah, Natsu. Who's Diane?" Gramps asked.

"She's our new member! That's what that explosion was a few hours ago! It was her release of magic power! But can you _please_ call the Exceeds back? She needs one!"

"Okay, but I'll have to meet her first. Then, maybe," Gramps decided.

"I'M ALL FIRED UP! LET'S GO MEET DIANE!"

Diane's POV

"GUYS! Be careful! Don't overwhelm her again, alright?" Mira instructed. I'd only known her for a few hours, but she was already becoming one of my closest friends.

"Hi Diane. My name's Levy. It's nice to meet you!" another bluenette said. She looked only a few years older than Wendy, but her height could let the two be confused for the same age.

"It's nice to meet you, too, Levy!" I replied.

"Hello again, I am E-"

"Erza, right? You're the one who threatened Gray and Natsu!"

"Yes, I did. I'm glad you remember me." Erza said. The guild was staring. Gray's jaw was practically on the floor.

"What's up with Gray? And pretty much the entire guild?"

"You interrupted me. Usually I would yell at you, but you're new, and I quite like you as well. So you're off the hook for now." She began to walk away and Natsu ran up to me with a small old man in tow. He looks familiar, and then it clicked. It was Makarov, the Master of Fairy Tail!

"Hello, my dear. I am Makarov, Master of Fairy Tail. You must be Diane. I hear you have panic attacks?" the Master inquired.

"Yes, I do. Luckily, Wendy, Happy, Carla, Lily, and Mira saved the day."

"Ah. Natsu told me that cats calmed you down. Natsu, come here," Makarov walked away and started whispering with Natsu. I continued meeting everyone in the guild, one of the cats flying over (because apparently they can fly? Why didn't Wendy tell me?) whenever I started feeling panicky. Eventually, there was no one left to meet besides the people who were out on jobs.

Right as Mira told me that, the doors opened to reveal a boy around my age with dark skin, brown hair, a tan shirt, and brown shorts.

"Haja! How was the job?" Mira queried.

"It was good. The monster that was terrorizing Leold is gone now," he answered. Then he saw me. "Who is this? DID WE GET A NEW MEMBER?" He ran up to me and slung his arm around my shoulders.

"YASSSSS! YOU WILL BE MY BEST FRIEND, GIRL!"

"My name's not girl, it's Diane."

"DIANE IS MY NEW BEST FRIEND!" Haja sang. "What magic do you use? WE MUST FIND OUT! TO THE TRAINING GROUND!" Haja grabbed my arm, pulling me out of the guild, laughing. Everyone tagged along, interested to see what magic I did. The explosion that happened earlier didn't show any of my attacks, just proved I have power.

He stopped and made sure I didn't move from the spot I was standing in. He ran a few meters away and stopped as well. Mira stood in the middle of us, arms raised. When her arms fell, she sprinted out of the way as Haja and I fought.

He charged me, sand swirling behind him. On reflex, I teleported behind him. He crashed into the ground which gave me a window for my next attack.

"Meteor!" I shouted, and flaming chunks of rock fell towards the ground. Haja managed to dodge them and send his own attack my way.

"Sand Swirl!" A cyclone of sand began to come towards me, and I didn't have enough time to teleport away.

"Fabric of Space and Time!" A galaxy colored piece of fabric appeared, and I used it as a shield from Haja's attack.

"GIRL, WHAT KIND OF MAGIC IS THIS?" Haja shouted to me as he sent more sandstorms my way.

"TIME AND SPACE MAGIC!" I called back, continuing to use the fabric as a shield. When the storms dissipated I used a spell that I came up with on my own.

"TIME SET: NIGHT! PHASES OF THE MOON: NEW MOON!" The bright daylight suddenly turned to night and I the slight light I gave off suddenly disappeared.

"Diane?" Where'd you go, girl? I don't see you. Or anyone, for that matter."

"Right here," I said as I teleported in front of him and pushed him to the ground. "Time set: Day!" Daylight returned and the guild could clearly see me pinning Haja to the ground. He was barely winded, but I was panting.

"WOW! Diane, you're really strong! Last year, Haja was in the S-Class exams and got pretty close to winning!" Mira exclaimed.

"I-if you'll excuse me, I th-think I need to take a n-nap," I yawned. Haja frowned and lifted me off him. The last thing I remember before falling asleep was the gentle up and down motion of Haja carrying me.

Makarov's POV

"Yes, Chagot. I know you're looking for the children you sent to Earthland, but I need you to come back," I pleaded. "Yes, I know you don't want to, but I have a wizard here who needs an Exceed… Who? She's a new member named Diane…. Why? Diane is prone to panic attacks and the only thing that calms her down is a cat… I know we have Happy, Carla, and Lily, but what if they're on a job and can't come? ….. You'll come? When?... In three days? Alright. Thank you, Chagot. You know how much it means to me to be able to help my children. Thank you. Goodbye, now." I closed the call on the communication lacrima. I really hoped Diane would find an Exceed to love just as much as Natsu loves Happy, or Wendy and Carla, or Gajeel and Lily.

Diane's POV

I woke up in the infirmary again. Someone was snoring away to my right. It was Haja, asleep on the bed next to me. I laughed quietly at the drool coming out of his mouth. I had only known this boy for minutes, but he was probably my best friend, or tied with Mira for that position.

"Goodnight, Haja," I whispered to him. I turned and closed my eyes. I missed the smile he gave me as I fell asleep.


	3. Chapter 3: I LIKE CATS

"Wait, WHAT?! You trained with someone who has the same magic power as you?" Haja exclaimed as we took a short break from training. It was two days after I had beaten him and we were training together. "Girl, do you know how RARE that is?! Did you even beat him?"

"A couple of times. He usually went easy on me then, though," I replied. "And we use the same magic because we're both Time Lords."

"TIME LORDS? GIRL, THIS JUST KEEPS GETTING BETTER! NEXT YOU'LL SAY YOU INVENTED MAGIC!"

I sighed. Trying to prove something to Haja was _impossible_. He would deny it, even if he got tangible proof. I motioned for him to follow me into the guild hall. He did so, and I made him stand really close to Erza.

"Wha-" she began.

"FREEZE!" I yelled. Immediately, time stopped. I touched Haja's shoulder to unfreeze him.

"Why'd you bring me in here, girl?" he asked.

"Look around." I told him. He did. And it blew his sassy little mind. He looked at Erza, and poked her. She didn't move, not even blinking.

"What the hell?"

"I froze time. Resume!" Time picked up right where it left off.

"-at?" Erza finished. "Weren't you just over there? How did you move so fast?"

"I froze time and unfroze Haja to prove a point. Now if you'll excuse me, I'm going to eat, I'm _starving_!" I walked to the bar and Mira got me my usual with Erza and Haja staring slack-jawed at me.

"What's up with them?" she asked as she gave me a huge plate of toast. I always ate it after training.

"I froze time. I finally proved a point to Haja and I think Erza's just impressed."

"Wait. You _froze_ time?! As in, not moving? Stopped? WHAT?! How is that possible?"

"I dunno. It's really hard though, so I don't do it much."

"MASTER!" Mira shouted. Makarov came running over.

"Yes, Mira?" he inquired.

"Did you know that Diane can freeze time?" Mira said casually. Master looked at me, amazed.

"Yeah. I can also fast-forward and rewind time, but only temporarily. It's not that big of a deal though, because it takes so much magic energy. A few minutes ago I froze time for about 30 seconds and I was immediately tired," I mentioned. Makarov was about to say something when Natsu shouted.

"The Exceeds are here!"

"Exceeds?" I wondered aloud.

"Carla, Lily, and I are all Exceeds from an alternate universe! All of the Exceeds from there came here when they lost all the magic power they had. Now they're here in Earthland with us!" Happy answered.

The doors opened and a stream of cats came flying in. My eyes widened in awe. I loved cats, and this put me in overdrive. There was a cat flying in at the back of the pack who, if I remember the different types of cats correctly, was a tortoise shell. They looked at me and flew to me.

"Hello," I whispered. "I'm Diane. Who are you?"

"Hi, Diane. I'm Mimi. You're really warm and snuggly….." she responded. Mimi burrowed into me, not purring anymore, but practically vibrating. I held her close and kissed the top of her head.

"I think someone found herself a kitty," Mira noticed. Master nodded then went off to find Chagot. Haja was still kind of freaked out by the fact I can freeze time, but when he saw me holding Mimi he couldn't help not coming over.

"Girl, you have the sweetest cat ever."

Mimi giggled and flew to him. "Hello. Are you Diane's friend?" Haja nodded and Mimi curled up in his head. I snorted. He glared at me, but didn't move in case it would disturb Mimi. Wendy noticed and pointed it out to Natsu and Gajeel.

"Haja, you got a cat?" Gajeel asked.

"Nope, she's Diane's. She asked if I was Diane's friend and then curled up."

Gajeel turned his attention to me instead. Wendy didn't know why I had a cat when I wasn't a dragon slayer, and Natsu was horribly confused. Then, he got it.

"MASTER! DIANE HAS A CAT NOW!" Natsu shouted across the guild. Everyone stopped and looked at me. Mimi woke up and I pulled her into my arms. She fell asleep again.

"Awwwwww," the guild collectively cooed. Then a tall white cat walked over with Master.

"Hello, my name is Chagot. I'm the Queen of the Exceeds. I see you and Mimi have taken a liking to each other," she said. Mimi woke up to talk to her Queen.

"Yes, we have, Queen. Could I stay here with her?" Mimi inquired.

"Oh, please?" I added.

"Of course! Who am I to keep people from being apart?" agreed Chagot. Mimi and I cheered.

The rest of the Exceeds hung out at the guild for the day, before heading back out.

Once the Exceeds were gone, Haja immediately grabbed me and Mimi and dragged us to the guild's training ground.

"Show me what ya got!" he demanded. Mimi blushed, head down.

"I-I'm not very helpful during battles….." she muttered.

"That's okay! I can teleport, so I won't need you to fly me anywhere during battle. But I can only teleport to places I've seen before, and that's where you come in," I encouraged. Mimi brightened at this prospect.

"Alright then, Mimi. You can watch to see how Di and I fight," Haja compromised. She nodded and flew a bit away, plopping on the ground.

"Wait. _Di_? and _I_?" I asked, alarmed.

"Your nickname is Di, girl. Live with it. Now fight me!" I sighed, and then we began to fight.

Haja knew better than to charge me, after our first sparring match. Instead, he turned the ground I was standing on into quicksand. I let him do that to me, and used the quicksand as a booster for one of my own attacks.

"Black Hole!" I shouted. Everything in my vicinity, Mimi, Haja, and some trees came flying toward me. Then I teleported out of the sand and in front of Haja. He was ready, though, and called a small sandstorm to appear around me.

Before I could teleport away again, Mimi flew over and scooped me up. She gained altitude as I cast another spell.

"Meteor," I said as chunks of rocks began to fall from the sky. Unlike when we first battled, Haja didn't expect this and was unable to dodge some of the smaller rocks.

"SAND TORNADO!" he yelled. A humongous sandstorm rose from the ground, sucking Mimi and me into it. It was okay when he attacked me, but my cat? OH HELL NO.

"Freeze!" Time stopped, and Mimi dropped me. Using the Fabric of Space and Time, I pulled her away from the frozen tornado. I teleported Haja and tackled him, resuming time as I did so.

He groaned,"How do you keep beating me? I thought I had you for sure…." I giggled, and began to oscillate. "Crap! You used too much magic power, didn't you. I use so much more magic than you and I ain't even winded. Ya need more stamina!"

"Yeah, yeah, whatever. I need food. And sleep. And maybe some cuddles," I tiredly ordered.

"That's all coming. Well, except the cuddles. Those are not from me." He lifted me into his arms, and I _swear_ I saw a bit of red in his cheeks, but I may have just been exhausted.

Haja's POV

Sadly, it was a recurring event for me to walk into the guild carrying Di in my arms. Before she passed out, I had slightly been blushing about her getting cuddles. I had hoped she didn't see. And a few nights ago, when she had collapsed after we fought, I smiled at her once she had turned around. How was it that this girl was able to somehow get through my good friend zone? I acted as if the entire guild was my best friend, but Di was the first person who I considered actually being my best friend. Ugh, the way she curled up against me whenever I carried her was, well, I don't even know if there's a word for it. Plus, Mira's teasing doesn't help.

"Has Diane's knight in sandy armor come to her rescue again?" she joked as I walked in carrying Di.

"Wow, Mira, that was so funny! You could do stand-up! Against a wall, blindfolded, with a firing squad ready to shoot!" I snapped sarcastically. She sighed. I always felt irritable when Diane passed out from training. Rolling her eyes, she helped me get Diane into a bed in the infirmary.

"Did she beat you?"

"Duh. Di is really strong. She just doesn't have the stamina yet. Once she does, she'll be unbeatable."

"I'm not supposed to tell you this, but since S-Class exams are in a little less than a year, you should know that we're considering her."

"THAT'S MY GIRL!" I exclaimed. Mira chuckled to herself, then left the room. Mimi had stayed silent the entire time, flying behind me, but once Mira left she whimpered and curled up on Diane's stomach. We didn't know that there was someone watching Diane, and when I left the room and came back, I didn't expect her to be gone.


	4. Chapter 4: Evil Uncle

Diane's POV

I woke up in a cell without windows. It was dark and cold, and I could hear faint drums pounding out a rhythm. _1-2-3-4. 1-2-3-4._ This was definitely _not_ the guild.

"Teleport!" I exclaimed. Nothing happened. "Teleport!" Still nothing. _'The cell must be magic-canceling,'_ I deduced. This was _great._ Just great. I was locked in a magic-canceling cell, I had no way to contact the guild, and I had no idea where the hell I was. Footsteps resounded down the hall where my cell was, and grew louder.

"Ah, Diane. You're awake. It's good to finally meet my niece," a man said. He was dressed in a black suit and had thin brown hair.

" _Niece_? I don't have an uncle," I informed him.

"What? You mean the Doctor never told you about your Uncle Master? And here I thought my brother would think me important enough to tell his adoptive daughter about! Tsk, tsk, tsk," 'Uncle' Master gasped as he acted offended.

"Well, if you really are my uncle, why am I in this cage?"

"I knew you would teleport away, which you proved, and I couldn't go to Fairy Tail because I, uh, I'm not really welcome there."

"Whatever. Take me back to Fairy Tail right now. You've met me, and I'll be sure to send you a Christmas card if you really want one."

"Oh, I'm sorry, my dear niece, but I can't do that. You see, I need to train you using _my_ magic. That Time and Space stuff may be powerful, but it's draining. If I'm going to claim you as family, you need to be strong. I'll show you how to be the strongest wizard ever. Or you'll die from the magic exposure, but oh well," the Master explained. I didn't have any time to object before he opened the cell and dragged me into a room.

Haja's POV

( **A/N: For the rest of this little arc, I'll be switching between Diane's and Haja's POVs. It just helps the story along.** )

"Hey, Di, you awa- DIANE!?" I shrieked. I was bringing her some food, with Mimi flying behind me when I saw a bed without a Diane in it. I dropped the tray I was holding. "MIRA! MASTER! WENDY! NATSU! ERZA! SOMEBODY HELP!"

They all came running, stopping when they saw the empty bed. Natsu started sniffing around, Mimi looked under the beds, and Wendy and Mira searched the medicine cabinet to see if any drugs were missing. Master stood still, then walked to the open window.

"She's smart," he said. "She'll have done something clever, something only she could do." Meaning she probably did something that involved freezing Time. If she had recovered enough strength, she may have been able to write a message for us. But that all depended on whether or not she was awake when she was taken.

I glanced at the bed next to the one she was on. Why was the blanket wrinkled? Walking to it, I turned the corner up to see a messy, hastily written note.

 _Haja - (illegible) kidnapped. Help (illegible). (Illegible) tracking spell on this pen._ _FIND ME_ _._

 _Di_

She had put a tracking spell on the pen she was using, while freezing Time. Mavis, she was strong. And a clever girl.

"Mira, Diane put a tracking spell on a pen, and now she has it on her. Can you track it?" I asked. Although she was a takeover wizard, she had a knack for tracking spells.

"I can try," she replied. Mira scrunched up her eyes, searching for the magical signature that matched the pen, and thus, Diane. After a few minutes, she relaxed. "Got it. It's that huge, abandoned castle on the edge of Magnolia. She's in the main hall."

Mira had barely finished her sentence before I sprinted out the door, headed for that castle. Whoever had Di, whoever had my best friend, they had hell to pay.

Diane's POV

My 'Uncle' pushed me into a chair and spread his arms out. Music began to flow into the room, filled with strong drums. _1-2-3-4. 1-2-3-4. 1-2-3-4._ The pounding from earlier grew louder. I could barely hear the other instruments over the racket they were making. It was deafening.

Reality started to slip away as my vision began to swim in black spots, my ears hurt so much. The pain was excruciating. I couldn't hold on for much longer. I hoped Haja has seen my message.

 _Haja._ Suddenly, he was there, in the edge of my vision. His sand began to swirl, but the soundwaves in the air shook apart every shape he tried to make. I had to help, somehow. Despite the pain, he needed me.

"Fabric of Space and Time," I whispered. Thin bands of it flew to Haja, stuffing themselves in his ears. Maybe his sand didn't work, but at least he wouldn't go deaf. He glanced at me and I blinked. Then I closed them again, passing out.

Haja's POV

Diane may have been practically dead, but she had the strength to cast a spell to protect me. What couldn't this woman do? Ah! I was getting distracted!

I turned my attention to the man who seemed to be causing all the noise. He didn't have a care in the world, arms spread out, cackling like a witch. I hated him so much right then. My sand was useless, so it was time to get physical.

His eyes were closed, so he didn't see me. Stealth was obsolete because there was that racket going on. I tackled him, disrupting his concentration. The 'music' stopped.

"Who the hell are you? Any why the hell did you kidnap my best friend, you ass?" I demanded.

"I'm her uncle, the Master. And I didn't kidnap her, I decided she needed to visit me. Now, who are _you_?" he shot back.

"Haja. Her best friend. If you'll excuse me, I need to take Di back to the guild and report you to the Magic Council." Then I summoned a small sandstorm to hold him captive and scooped Diane into my arms. If she was hurt more than a headache, this 'uncle' of hers was dead.

When I got to the guild, I handed Evil Uncle to Master to take care of and accompanied Diane to Wendy to heal. I was so worried about her. Was she hurt? Could she hear? Did the sound screw with her head?

"Um…. Haja? Could you lean back a bit? You're in the way of my healing," Wendy politely asked.

"Y-yeah. Sure. Just fix her, okay? She's my best friend," I mumbled. I wasn't paying attention. Wendy's magic hummed softly.

"I have an order for a Mr. Haja of a fixed Diane? Your order is ready," she joked. She stood up and walked over to Natsu and Carla as I leaned over Di. She blinked groggily, her hands coming up to rub her eyes.

"Haja?" Diane muttered. I hugged her, and she squeaked. This was the first time I'd done something other than sling my arm over her shoulder. Then she relaxed into it, burying her head into my shoulder. I could swear Mira whispered 'I ship it' but I honestly didn't care. Diane was safe.

Diane's POV

Haja hugged me right after I woke up, and I was kind of alarmed. He had never hugged me before. But it was Haja, and anything Haja did made me feel really safe, for some reason. So I buried my head into his shoulder, breathing in his smell.

"I thought you wouldn't come in time," I whispered.

"Never. I've been told I have impeccable timing," he told me. Then he released me from our hug. "Glad you're not dead, girl. I'd have to deal with a mopey Mimi for the rest of my life."

"Speaking of her, where is she?" I spoke at the right time, as Mimi came zipping over, crashing right into me. She burrowed into my chest, whimpering. I pet her, trying to calm her down. I was so glad to be back with the guild, with my family.

(A/N: The next few chapters are probably gonna be fluff, which I suck at, so don't judge the crappiness. Also, I think I may start a bit of Hiane (Haja x Diane). See ya!)


	5. Chapter 5: Dude, GET OUT!

"Haja, I need to get a place to live," I said as we hung out at the guild. Mira had been generously letting me stay with her for the past week, but I needed my own space. "I also kinda need money…"

"No problem! I'll take a job for you, girl, and when we get the jewel we can buy you an apartment," he answered. Haja unslung his arm from around my shoulders and got up to go to the request board, but I grabbed his wrist.

"I want to do it, Haja. You know I'm strong enough. And we've been sparring so much that my stamina's increased a lot," I argued.

"Fine. We'll take an easy one-" I shot him a death glare that Erza would be proud of. "Or you could pick it and I will tag along to make sure you don't exhaust yourself."

"Better," I smirked as I picked us a job.

Mira's POV

"You'd think they were dating by how they argue," I muttered to Cana.

"Really? I always thought he was gay," she murmured back, slightly drunk. The brunette was only five barrels in, it usually took ten before she was dancing-on-a-table drunk.

"Huh. I guess I can see that. But, then again, we all suspected Natsu was gay, when that is _obviously_ not the case." Natsu was currently talking with Lucy, when he leaned over and kissed her. They stayed like that for a bit, and then broke apart, giggling.

"I still think Haja's gay, though. Even though he's so relaxed around Diane, he just gives off this _gay_ vibe."

"Ooooookay. No more alcohol for you!" I exclaimed as I yanked the barrel away from her. _'How am I going to get them together?'_

Diane's POV

"How about this one?" I suggested to Haja. It was a job where we had to play the piano at the Moonlight Café for a few hours for their grand opening.

"You know how to play the piano?" he asked. This was the fifth job I suggested. He'd shot the others down for being 'too dangerous' or 'they're probably just pervs' (there was one where we could clean someone's house for a thousand jewel. He thought I'd have to wear a maid costume).

"If I didn't, do you think I would've picked the job?" I snapped back, irritated. I knew he was worried about me, but I could handle myself. I was a freaking WIZARD. Haja sighed and followed me over to Mira and Cana at the bar. Strangely, Cana didn't have a drink.

"You want that job?" asked Mira. I nodded and she marked it down so she could tell Makarov later. "Have fun!" I waved and Haja seemed a little happier as we walked to the Moonlight Café.

 **~TIME SKIP~**

 **(Like 10 min)**

When we arrived at the Moonlight Café, we were greeted by the owner, a middle-aged woman named Piper who said her dream was to open a restaurant. Piper showed us around, and ended the tour at the baby grand I'd be playing.

"She's a beauty," I complemented the piano.

"Ah, good ol' Laura here's been passed down in my family for generations. I had 'er tuned a few weeks ago, so she's in tip-top shape," Piper said. "Play 'er."

I pulled out the piano bench and sat down. How long had it been since I touched a piano? Three, four, no, SIX years! My fingers rested lightly on the ivory keys, when I moved them and began to play 'Flashlight'. (From Pitch Perfect 2, me no own song.) When I was finished, Haja was stunned and Piper was in tears.

"T-That's the most beautiful thing I ever heard played!" she sputtered.

"Damn, girl. You weren't kidding, you really _can_ play the piano," whispered Haja. Piper glanced at the clock, and realized that people were going to arrive in half an hour.

"Alright, Diane. You're gonna be playin' fer a couple hours, so you can take a break every now an' again. You can play whatever, so long as it don't drown out people talkin'. I gotta get some stuff ready, but I'll be back to tell you when to start playin'," Piper instructed me. Then she ran off.

-X-x-X-

After at least a good five hours of playing Laura, Piper paid me five hundred thousand jewels, and I got another ten thousand in tips. That would hopefully enough to buy a small apartment and furniture. The next day, Haja and I went house-hunting. We went through ten different apartments before I found The One.

It was within walking distance of both Haja's apartment and the guild hall. When you first walked in, there was a short hallway that opened up into the living room. On the left was a large doorway to the kitchen with an island in the middle. On the right was an 'L' shaped hallway. If you walked straight across the living room from the kitchen you would walk into the master bedroom. To the right of that was an office, and then across the hall was the guest room and a bathroom. In the master bedroom there was the same bathroom/closet situation that I had when I lived with the Doctor, except the closet was smaller and neither the bathroom nor the closet were stocked.

As soon as I entered the apartment I knew it had to be mine. Even Haja liked it! Once I bought it we went shopping, and because he said he was 'too pretty to do any heavy lifting' I had to use the Fabric of Space and Time to carry it all. I even had a little cat bed for Mimi on top of one of my bookshelves.

I invited Mira, Wendy, Natsu, Lucy, Erza, and a couple others over to show them my new home. Wendy and Mira insisted on helping me paint the walls later on. I had just finished finding a good day for all of us when Haja walked in. Apparently, he had left to move some of his stuff into the guest room!

"Di, why don't I have a dresser or something?" he shouted from the guest room.

"WHAT?" I demanded as I ran to where he was. "WHAT ARE YOU DOING?!"

"Trying to put my stuff in your guest room, girl. Haven't you ever heard of friendship?"

"DO YOU NOT HAVE A HOUSE? WHY ARE YOU TRYING TO MOVE INTO MY APARTMENT?" I was still screeching at the top of my lungs, and Mira came over to investigate.

"Haja! Are you trying to move in with Diane? I SHIP IT!" the silver-haired woman exclaimed.

"NO!" I answered for him. "GET YOUR STUFF OUT OF MY APARTMENT! NOW!" He huffed, and packed his stuff back up. "Thank you," I said sassily.

Mira's POV

I couldn't believe it! Haja was trying to move some of his stuff into Diane's apartment? This was great! I had Haja's part in the bag, all I needed now was a 'gentle' nudge for Di. The two were facing each other, maybe a foot or so apart. I pretended to trip, knocking Diane into Haja.

My plan worked! Diane's face was inches from Haja's! They both blushed profusely, and pulled apart quickly. Alright, maybe it hadn't worked as well as I had hoped, but I think it may just be the proof I needed to see if they liked each other or not.

Haja's POV

Diane was yelling at me one second, and the next she was practically kissing me! Either she has horrible balance, or Mira knocked her over when she tripped. Well, 'tripped' was probably more accurate. She probably hit Diane on purpose so we would kiss. I didn't know whether or not I wanted Hiane to be a thing.

Diane's POV

Mira had tripped behind me, knocking me into Haja. He caught me right before our faces collided. His lips were inches from mine, those luxurious li- We both realized what was happening and Haja quickly set me back upright, blushing just as much as I thought I was. I left the room as fast as I could, pretending I had urgent business to take care of. _'What the hell, Mira? Why would you do that? Why am I so flustered? I don't_ _like_ _Haja… right?'_ I thought. I glanced out of my new bedroom to see Mira talking to Lucy, Wendy, and Erza excitedly. What was up with that?

Mira's POV

(Sorry about the constant POV changes…. You'll see why eventually)

"We _have_ to get Diane and Haja together!" I whispered urgently.

"Aye. But, how?" agreed Erza.

"Tripping one of them and accidentally making them kiss?" Lucy suggested.

"Just tried that now. All they did was blush, no kissing involved," I replied.

"Maybe we can somehow convince them to admit their feeling for each other," Wendy added.

"Oh! I just got a great idea! It's…." I began.

-X-x-X-

Hello, reader! I am SO sorry I haven't updated in a week, but I've just been so stressed. Last Saturday I had a band competition, Sunday was my mom's birthday, I didn't have any time to update, I was swamped with homework, I lost my phone on Tuesday and I still haven't found it. On top of all THAT, I have the first show choir performance of the year next Thursday and practice on Tuesday, as well as a second story to work on (called The Show Must Go On). But I'm updating now, so we're good to go. I'll do my best to update every weekend, although FREAKING SHOW CHOIR IS EVERY SATURDAY FOR THE NEXT FIVE WEEKS ARGGGGGGHHHHHHH. Ahem….. Ta ta for now!


	6. Chapter 6: Toast and Pianos

**Haja's POV**

"Mira, I want to buy Diane a piano," I told the silver-haired mage. She dropped the glass she was drying.

"WHAT?! LUCY, WENDY, ERZA. COME HERE, NOW," Mira shouted. The girls immediately ran over. "Tell them what you told me."

"I want to buy Diane a piano," I repeated. Wendy fangirled, Lucy and Erza shared a look I didn't want to analyze, and Mira practically fainted. I had to drag Natsu over to fart in her face as smelling salts. Once she woke up they immediately dragged me outside to a music store.

Inside, there were hundreds of instruments. Guitars, marimbas, saxophones, flutes, clarinets, drum sets, cellos, and violas. All that was just the first room. There apparently were two more. A worker at the store came over. Her name tag read 'Holly'.

"Welcome to Magnolia Music! What can I help you with?" Holly asked.

"I need a good quality piano," I answered.

"We have a couple different kinds. Are you looking for a grand, baby grand, or upright? If it's going in a house I'd suggest an upright piano. They're the smallest."

"Then lead away!" Mira exclaimed. Holly turned and led us through the different aisles, filled with sheet music and instruments. Wendy ditched us to look at flutes. She was really interested in them, and another worker began to talk animatedly with her. Erza kept looking back at the trumpets as we walked through the second room. Eventually, it was just me, Mira, Lucy, and Holly. Holly stopped at as we entered the third room.

"We have a room just for pianos because they are such a popular instrument to buy. Look around and see if you can find one you like," she instructed. Then she left the room to go help another customer.

"I guess we just look for a piano we think Di would like," I suggested. The two mages standing in front of me nodded and walked off, looking at the pianos. After a few minutes, we each picked pianos. Lucy liked a pink one with lots of engraved designs, Mira went for a large white one with no designs. I thought for a moment and then picked a light blue piano with a little bit engraving on the front of it, which could be propped out for the piano to be louder.

"Wow, we really were just thinking about what _we_ wanted in pianos. Haja obviously made the right choice for Diane," Mira noticed.

"Yeah. I highly doubt Diane would want a pink piano," Lucy added. I pretended to do a hair flip, even though I had short hair. We looked for Holly and proceeded to buy the piano. None of us thought of how we were going to get the piano into Diane's apartment.

 **~Time Skip~**

"Well, crap," I stated as we looked at the measurements of the piano and compared them to Diane's door. The door was a couple inches too small to fit it through. Suddenly, Mira gasped.

"What about the window?" The takeover Mage ran to the window and measured it. The window was a lot larger than the piano (A/N: The window stretches most of the wall). She turned back around to me. "Lucy, Erza, and I will get the piano up to this window. Haja, your job is to keep Diane away from this part of town for the rest of the day." Wendy wasn't here, she had to go take a job with Carla so she wouldn't lose her apartment. I nodded to Mira, then ran to go find Di. Unsurprisingly, she was training at the guild.

"Hey Di!" I exclaimed. She turned away from her training and looked at me.

"Haja! What's up?" she replied.

"Not much. Can I help you train?"

"Actually, I was about to finish. But I'm really tired, so I guess I'll stop now."

"How about we go to…." I thought about what was decently away from her apartment. "… the park! We could have a picnic!" Diane gasped.

"That sounds amazing! Can we have toast?" She didn't wait for an answer as she dragged me from the training ground into the guild. "Huh, I guess Mira isn't here right now. We can pack the picnic basket at my apartment, then. I -"

"Nah, let's pack it at mine. I think I have a basket somewhere. Plus, the walk to the park is shorter," I interrupted. That thing with the 'shorter walk' was total bogus. But Di didn't know that. I just had to figure out how to keep her from walking by her apartment window. She better _love_ this freaking piano. We linked arms and skipped to my apartment (cringe).

We had to pass her apartment in order to get to mine, and I needed a plan. We were three blocks away. Two blocks. One block. Her apartment was right around the corner. Suddenly, inspiration struck.

"Diane! Look! Someone's drowning in the canal! I'll get Wendy! You go help them!" I exclaimed. She turned, not realizing that Wendy wasn't there. I sprinted away to her apartment window.

 **Mira's POV**

"Mira! Diane and I are about to walk by! Cover the window!" Haja called up. Erza had just gotten the risers from wherever she got them from (At this point we'd just stopped asking where she got them from. She claimed they weren't in her requip stock). Lucy and I were in the apartment figuring out where to put the piano.

"Got it! Give us a minute!" I shouted down.

"This _is_ your minute! Now go! She's probably wondering where the heck I am!" the sand mage yelled. Then he turned and ran back to Diane.

"C'mon, ladies! You heard him! Cover the window!" I ordered. Lucy and Erza moved.

 **Haja's POV**

I ran back to Diane. She looked bewildered, so I pretended to be really panicked, as if I couldn't find Wendy.

"Di! I couldn't find her! Are they okay?" I asked.

"There was no one there. I looked if they had sunk but still nada," she said, confused.

"Huh. Guess I must be seeing things. Let's go on that picnic though." We relinked arms and continued walking. Right as we passed her apartment building, I looked to see if they covered the window. The street looked normal. I looked closer. It was a giant canvas painted like the street! Where did they get that from? It was probably Erza… Anyways, as we continued on I wondered what the girls were doing.

 **Mira's POV**

"Alright, now that we've been disguised, we need to figure out where to put this piano. Ideas?" I asked the girls. We had set up the risers in the street underneath the window, and were trying to figure out which way we should put the piano based on where it will go.

"How about this conveniently piano-sized gap between the bookshelves?" suggested Lucy. And there it was. A very handily sized space between Diane's two bookshelves on the wall opposite the window. Erza walked over and measured it. It was a perfect fit for the piano.

"Well, that's settled. It's going there. Now let's get it up here," Erza stated. She stepped out of the window and landed on the risers. "Let's roll her up!" The scarlet haired mage requipped into her Clear Heart armor and started to roll the piano up the risers. Lucy and I moved to help but she shot us a glare when we moved. Soon, the piano was inside the apartment, filling up the piano-sized gap.

"Now, let's go get Haja and Diane!" Lucy exclaimed.

 **Haja's POV**

Di and I had laid out the blanket and opened the basket. As per her request, there was toast. She was munching along while we were talking about small nothings. Then, Lucy, Mira, and Erza walked up to us.

"Hey guys! What's up?" The celestial mage inquired. Diane stopped eating her beloved toast to respond.

"Not much, really. Haja took me on a picnic after I finished training," Diane answered. As soon as 'training' left her mouth, more toast was put in. What is it with her and toast?

"It _is_ a really nice day for a picnic. Piano movers must have a hard job staying on task so they  finish," Mira mentioned. The word 'finish' was a hint to me that they were done and the 'vulcan was in the forest'. "Could we join your picnic?"

"Of course! Diane, do you have any dessert at your apartment? I don't have any at mine and I didn't pack any," I asked. The toast left her mouth long enough to for her to answer.

"There should be. I made cupcakes, unless _someone_ ate them all," Diane replied. I was the someone. She made a small batch of cupcakes last week and I _may_ have eaten them all in one sitting. In my defense, they were heavenly.

"The let's go! Do you girls want to come too?" I asked. Erza immediately said yes for the three of them and we walked to Diane's apartment. The painted street was gone, and we could actually enter the building. Diane unlocked the door and stepped in, holding the door for us. She turned to her right, even though the kitchen was to the left.

"W-What is this? D-did you b-buy me a piano?" She asked, turning to me. I rubbed the back of my neck, slightly embarrassed by her reaction.

"Yeah. They helped get it in here. I distracted you," I answered, pointing to the women behind me. They grinned, and Lucy waved. Diane looked like she was going to cry, so I wrapped my arms around her. "Hey, hey, hey, don't cry! We got you the piano because we knew how much you loved Laura and you hadn't played in ages. So don't cry, just smile and play the piano." The Time Lady sniffed, wiped at her eyes, and sat on the piano bench. Her fingers stroked over the heya lovingly, and stopped over the keys she wanted. She began to play. I didn't know what song it was, but it was pretty. There were louder and softer parts, fast and slow parts, and chords. It reminded me a little of a lullaby, but that wasn't what this song was. It was closer to a love song, but still not a love song either. The song was Diane's way of saying thank you. Her fingers held the last note out, and then she turned to us once she lifted them.

"So, how 'bout that picnic?"

-X-x-X-

Hey, author here. So sorry about not updating in weeks! I didn't plan on this happening, but Girl Scouts, show choir, and homework got in the way, not to mention that this chapter was hard for me to write because I'm not good at fluff… Sadly, I will probably have to change the update schedule to once a month for a while. I have show choir competitions every Saturday for the next four weeks, which is usually when I'd update, so bleh. Anywho, ta ta for now!


	7. Chapter 7: TENROU TIME

**SCREW IT *flips table* I CAN'T DEAL WITH IT. THERE MUST BE ACTION. IT TOOK ME THREE WEEKS TO WRITE THE LAST CHAPTER BECAUSE I HATE WRITING FLUFF. I JUST CAN'T. SO TIME FOR THE TENROU ARC.**

 **~Time Skip~**

 **It is now months after Haja bought Diane her piano.**

 **Diane's POV**

Haja and I walked into the guild hall. Everyone was whispering, excited. Cana looked miserable but, on the opposite side of the room, Natsu was ecstatic. Confused, I pet Mimi, who was on my head napping. (Mimi was with Lily last chapter.) Haja grinned and yanked me into the crowd of people. Mira, Erza, Master, and a auburn-haired man with a black cape walked onto the stage in the guild hall.

"Could I have your attention, please?" Mira asked in her angelic voice. The crowd quieted. "Thank you. As most of you know, and some of you don't, this is a very important time of year for Fairy Tail. Why? Because it's time for the S-Class Wizard Exams!" The crowd erupted into cheers, different from the murmurs earlier. Mira held out her hand and we all shut up again. "Not only is this a test of strength, but a test of the strength of friendship as well. So, the people that are selected will have to team up with a person of their choosing. Now, I know you're all anxious to hear who made it, but first I thought I'd introduce the person up here that some of you may not know. This is Gildarts Clive." The auburn-haired man stepped forward and grinned, just like Natsu does. "He is an SS-Class wizard, even stronger than an S-Class wizard." We all gasped collectively. "Alright, now what you've all been waiting for, the people who made it to the S-Class Exams! Natsu Dragneel." The mentioned man lit himself on fire and jumped up and down. "Gray Fullbuster." Gray shot his fist up into the air in a little victory-punch. "Juvia Lockser." Juvia looked excited, then sad once she realized she couldn't team up with her beloved Gray-sama. "Elfman Strauss." The white-haired man looked slightly shocked, but his sisters looked at him with pride. "Bickslow." Bickslow stuck out his tongue as his 'babies' tittered around him. "Cana Alberona." The drunkard moaned and banged her head on the bar. "Levy McGarden." The petite bluenette looked very alarmed. "And, last but not least, Diane Skylar!" Me? I was amazed. I was the newest member of the guild, but ready to become an S-Class wizard? The rest of the guild was shocked as well. Haja just grinned even wider and pulled me into a hug. Mimi gave me a hug as well and went to go tell Lily that I made it in but Gajeel didn't. She was a bit of a troublemaker, despite her sweet appearance.

"Mira was not done talking! How dare you interrupt her!" Erza shouted. The guild shut up again, this time out of fear. Mira did her little head-cocked smile.

"Thanks, Erza. Now, the test will happen two weeks from now, so train your hardest!" Mira announced. "The test…."

 **~Time Skip~**

"...will take place on the island Tenroujima, a sacred Fairy Tail place," Master said, repeating what Mira had said two weeks ago. We were on the boat to Tenrou, with everyone and their partners. Juvia chose Lisanna, Gray had an agreement with Loke/Leo, Elfman with Evergreen, Bickslow with Freed, Natsu with Happy, Cana chose Lucy, Levy eventually decided on Gajeel (Let's just say that Jet and Droy were less than pleased), and I obviously chose Haja.

"When we arrive, the first task of sorts is to pick a tunnel. Sounds easy, right? Well, in those tunnel will be different obstacles. One peaceful path, three S-Class fights, and four team battles. The peaceful path is self-explanatory. The S-Class wizard fights are where you fight an S-Class wizard. Mira, Erza, and Gildarts are each in their own tunnel. They may pass you if they think you do well, or if you beat them in battle," Makarov explained. Everyone groaned at that. Only Natsu was excited. "The team battles are where you fight another team. Whoever wins goes on." The small man looked over to Tenrou to see it about 500 meters or so away. "Go! Pick a tunnel and battle!"

I glanced at Haja. We linked hands as I searched his timeline. During training, we worked on my teleportation skills. I could teleport myself and one other person to a place I hadn't seen if they had been there before. All I had to do was touch them and search their timeline. Haja's memories took us to the beach of the island. We glanced back at the boat to see Bickslow and Freed swimming in the ocean. Everyone else was pounding on walls of runes. _'Sneaky, sneaky Freed. Knowing Levy, she'll undo the runes, but only for her and Gajeel,'_ I thought. Sure enough, Levy and Gajeel were soon swimming as well.

"We'd better hurry up!" Haja exclaimed. He grabbed my wrist and we ran to the tunnels. There were tunnels lettered A through F. "Tunnel D! For Diane! Come on!" The sand mage yanked me into the tunnel. We ran through it, our feet slapping the almost-white ground. At the end was an open area, with a barred-off tunnel. Another tunnel opened into the open area. "Guess we got a team battle… I wonder who we're up against."

"You won't have to wonder for long," a voice called up from the other tunnel. It was Gray! Loke and Gray ran into the area and stood across from us. Leo grinned at Haja and Gray grinned at me. _'So, it's been decided who we're fighting,'_ I thought. _'Let the fighting begin!'_ At my mental proclamation, I roundhouse kicked at Gray with my right foot, and he blocked with his left forearm. I used his arm as leverage to lift myself up, and kick him with my left foot in the armpit. He groaned and leaned back slightly.

Haja had worse luck with Loke. The spirit kept using the power of Regulus to blind Haja. He was forced to use his sand to make little walls that Leo turned to glass. Suddenly, I had an idea. I froze time, as I had worked on that as well, and unfroze Haja.

"If we can get Gray to freeze the floor, we can use the glass walls as things to bounce off of, and have both of them collide. At least one of them should pass out, and we can deal with the other," I strategized. The sand mage have me a thumbs up and I unfroze time. Haja continued his wall-making, as I kept fighting Gray. We weren't trading magical blows, but physical ones. I was kind of worn out from freezing time, but I stayed in tempo with Gray, our battle almost looked choreographed.

"Done!" Haja called to me. I started to run away from Gray, and he fell right into our trap.

"Ice make: Floor!" the ice mage exclaimed. The ground froze over and I nearly slipped. I put a little bit of the Fabric of Time and Space on the bottoms of my boots so I'd have some traction. Gray skated toward me and Loke did the same to Haja. They were going for the same tactic! I gave Haja traction as well and we dodged the men who were trying to push us. I pushed Gray straight into Leo and their heads knocked together with a sick _clunk_.

"Oops," I said sarcastically. Both Gray and Loke were down for the count. The barred passage opened and my best friend and I walked through. It ended in a beach-like clearing. There was a little bar that Mira was manning and there were two teams already there. Levy and Gajeel, and Elfman and Evergreen.

"Who were you up against, Diane?" Levy asked. "We got the peaceful path." Gajeel grumbled at that. Guess he wanted to fight Natsu.

"Loke and Gray. What about you guys, Elfman and Evergreen?" I answered. Mira froze, and then hung her head.

"They got me," replied the silver-haired woman. "They played a dirty trick, they pretended to be _engaged_. Do you know how mean that is? I stopped fighting them because I didn't want them to be bruised for the wedding."

"Well, Mira, trickery _is_ part of fighting," Evergreen stated.

"True that," I added. "We beat Gray and Leo by using Gray's ice against them. They collided and got KO'd." Right as I finished my sentence Lucy and Cana ran out of their tunnel. They seemed only a little roughed up. Cana headed straight to the bar and waved to Mira for some booze. She got water. Lucy joined our conversation, talking about how they beat Freed and Bickslow. Soon, everyone else joined us.

Natsu was passed by Gildarts, Juvia and Lisanna lost to Erza, and Gray and Loke appeared, as did Freed and Bickslow. We all talked about what happened and replenished our strength. Master arrived, with Wendy in tow to heal us if necessary.

"Well, good to see you. Good job to Cana, Natsu, Elfman, Levy, and Diane for passing. Now that you've all rested up, the next task shall begin!" Master exclaimed.

-X-x-X-

 **Author here! Nice to see you made it to the end of the chapter. This will probably be the only chapter you get this month, but I'll try to do more. Leaving a review might make me write faster… Ta ta!**


	8. Chapter 8: Incoming Kin

**Sup? Here's your (late) April chapter! I wrote this in about five days so it hasn't been proofread a whole lot….but enjoy!**

-X-x-X-

"The second task is to find founding master Mavis Vermilion's grave. I have asked the Exceeds to hide themselves around the island. Some have hints leading you to Mavis's grave. Others give you false information, so be careful who you talk to," Master Makarov announced. "Natsu, since Happy is both an Exceed and your partner, you may either go partnerless or pick a temporary partner from one of the candidates or partners that have been eliminated."

The group of us that qualified for the S-Class Exams were gathered in a little clearing near the center of the island, plus Wendy, Lily, Mimi, and Carla. Master was informing us about the second task of becoming an S-Class mage. 'Us' being me, Cana, Natsu, Levy, and Elfman. Gray, Bixlow and Juvia had all lost their battles, so they were eliminated from the Exam.

Natsu pondered what Makarov proposed, and then answered. "I think I'll have Lisanna as my temporary partner. Maybe she can help if you give us a riddle!" Mira suddenly got this _look_ on her face. I recognized it as her oh-my-god-this-is-such-a-cute-ship-but-now-I'm-torn-between-this-and-another face. I felt bad for Natsu and Lisanna.

"Natsu, good choice. Alright, everyone else, here is your hint. Mavis made the _roots_ of this guild." As the word 'guild' left Master's lips, everyone ran off. I thought I knew the answer so I grabbed Haja and ran off toward the trunk of the Tenrou Tree.

"The hell, girl? Did you figure it out?" he asked as he yanked my arm so I'd stop. We had run long enough so we were both panting as I explained my thinking.

"Roots… Keyword… Big tree… Roots… Connect… The dots," I quickly explained. After a few seconds, he caught on. Haja took off again with me right on his heels. To our right we could hear branches breaking and a conversation.

"I smell Happy! He's this way!" exclaimed Natsu.

"Wait up! I can't run as fast as you!" Lisanna yelled after him. The pink and silver haired mages burst into the small clearing we had been standing in. Haja turned and grabbed me out of the way so Natsu wouldn't crash into me.

"Oh hey, guys! What's up?" I inquired.

"Natsu here is convinced that Happy has corr- LOOK OUT!" she screamed. We all spun to see a yellow-haired man fall from the sky. He landed in a crouched position, then slowly raised himself up. His shirt left about half of his chest exposed, on which a strange mark was imprinted. It was a guild mark! What guild was it that Makarov had warned us about? Grandeur Smart? No, Armoire Fart? Oh, Grimoire Heart!

"Well, well, well," he said in a surprisingly high voice for his build,"What do we have here? A couple a Fairies looking for some pixie dust? Or are they looking for what I'm looking for, Zeref?"

"Zeref?" Haja demanded. "Zeref is here on the island?" The blond man cackled.

"Guess I said too much. It's a shame, you would have been such fun playthings." Then he blew black fire at us. Thankfully, Natsu jumped in the way and attempted to eat the fire. It was put out, but our resident fire dragon slayer started coughing and spluttering.

"Mavis, what kinda fire is that? It was _disgusting_!" Natsu exclaimed. The man didn't look surprised that Natsu ate his fire, but slightly miffed as is if he was thinking, _'Hey, this nincompoop is insulting my fire?'_

"God slayer fire. It is I, Zancrow of the Seven Kin of Purgatory of Grimoire Heart, the God-Killer!" Zancrow announced rather unspectacularly.

"And it is I, Natsu Dragneel of Team Natsu of Fairy Tail, the Dragon Slayer! And I'm 'bout to give you a beat down! Haja, Diane, go tell everyone else that Grimoire Heart is here. This is a fight for me and Lisanna." Haja and I both nodded and ran off. As we left, we heard Lisanna say,

"I feel a little left out because I didn't announce myself. I am Lisanna Strauss of the Strauss Siblings of Fairy Tail. And Natsu is gonna get the best darn backup he's ever gotten!" I laughed. What Lisanna said sounded kind of silly since she said 'darn' instead of 'damn', but she had this vow that she wouldn't curse unless it was for a good reason. I followed that with her. Once we were far enough from the battle, Haja nudged my side, signalling that we should stop to talk.

"Alright, do you have a plan for how we're gonna warn everybody? 'Cause I sure don't," he asked urgently.

"I mean, kinda," I shrugged. "I dunno if you'll like it though…"

"Well, what is it?"

"I freeze time, teleport around, tell everyone, teleport back here, unfreeze time, and then pass out."

"No! No way in HELL am I letting you do that!" Haja dismissed the idea immediately. I huffed.

"What other choice do we have? We need to get the word out fast, and this is the fastest way. It's either this or us running for miles trying to find people we don't the location of!"

"You could just teleport around!"

"But it's not that fast! Time is not on our side, so we have to stop it. I'm going to do it anyway, with or without your approval," I stated. Haja was about to protest when I froze time. "I'm sorry, Haja, but I have to do this." His frozen face had no reaction. I turned and ran through the forest, trying to find someone. I came across Carla, and unfroze her.

"Carla! Grimoire Heart is on Tenrou!" I interrupted before she could say her hint. The Exceed gasped. "I froze time, but I need you to fly around as fast as you can to warn everyone. Since I unfroze you, you can unfreeze people. Go!" The both of us took of in separate directions. I ran and teleported as fast as I could trying to tell everyone. My strength was waning quickly, but all I had left to do was find Haja. Then I could rest.

I teleported back to him, and he hadn't been unfrozen. I resumed time. He managed to have enough wits about him to catch me as I fell onto him. Then the blackness took me.

-X-x-X-

Haja's POV

The next thing I knew after our little tiff was Diane falling. I somehow caught her and gently placed her on the ground at the roots of a nearby tree. I sat next her sleeping form. Suddenly, a firework appeared in the air. The trees around us were young enough that they showed the golden arrow pointing down. That was the signal Master told us meant "Meet here in case of emergency". Evidently, Di's plan worked. If only we could up her stamina more. Then, she could probably teleport us to the meeting point. Instead, I had to drag an unconscious person through a forest that I didn't know the layout of, to a place I had seen all of once. Yay.

I stood back up and lifted her. I had no idea how far I could carry her, but luckily I had lots of practice. It was especially tricky because there were a lot of roots to trip over. A rustling to my left startled me. Out of the brush burst a dumpling-shaped man. No joke. He literally looked like a dumpling. He looked at me, and seemed surprised. I knelt and put Di back down. I felt like this would end up being a battle.

"Oh hello. You seem to be a Fairy-man. Although you are attractive, I must defeat you for the honor of Grimoire Heart!" Dumpling-man exclaimed. "I am Kain! I am one of the Seven Kin, despite my appearance! Tremble at my name!" I raised my eyebrow at that.

"Nice try, Fatso, but no. You may be strong, but my knees are, as you said, too attractive to touch the ground, let alone for someone who looks like _you_ ," I stated as I gestured to his body. He grumbled at that. He reached into his cape-thing and pulled out a little doll.

Holding it out, he said,"This is Mr. Cursey. If I take a lock of someone's hair and put in on Mr. Cursey's head, I can control them. See?" Then he reached into his head and pulled out a lock of his hair. After putting it on the doll, he handed it to me.

I lifted the doll's arm and made it wave. Fatso did that. _'This could be fun,'_ I thought. Next was the splits. Feet behind the head. Handstand. I was about to have him do an Irish jig when he grabbed the doll back.

"Now you see how powerful I am. Will you tremble in fear? Or fall to the ground in defeat?" he asked rhetorically. I was about to scoff when he bent down and pulled some hair out of Di's head. _Oh hell no._ Fatso calmly pulled his hair off the doll and placed Diane's on it. He moved the doll and Diane was standing in front of me, still unconscious.

"Will you fight your little girlfriend?"

-X-x-X-

 **It's a little late because I looked at my calendar the other day and was like,"It's the 20th and I haven't uploaded this month. OH CRAP!" So, here we are. See ya later this month for May's chapter! Ta ta!**


	9. Chapter 9: I Hate Dumplings

**Hullo! Didya notice I'm late? Sorry 'bout that, school is hectic. But luckily, (or unluckily, depending on my procrastination skills) it's summer! I'll see ya at the bottom!**

 **WARNING: HAJA CURSES A BIT**

-X-x-X-

Haja's POV

 _Well, shit,_ I thought. _How am I gonna pull_ _this_ _off?_ Fatso - _no, Kain was the name!_ \- pulled Diane into an upright position and put her into a fighting position. I just hoped to Mavis that she'd wake up and that he couldn't tap into her magic. Otherwise, I'd be dead. Somehow, I had to get her hair off of that damn doll.

Di came flying toward me and I sent a wall of sand to deflect her as a thin tendril was sent to get the doll. She broke through the wall covered in scratches, but was flailing, trying to claw me with her nails. Kain laughed as he batted away my sand. Mavis, it was infuriating! I tried to tackle her, but Fatso was deceivingly nimble with his hands. He dragged Diane behind me and got some good kicks in. Now on the ground, I flipped over and yanked on her legs. The force of my pull must have woken her up, because she screamed.

I grimaced, and laid myself on top of her. Then, I used some damp sand to bury her, like at the beach. Diane thrashed as best Kain could make her, but the fear on her face was unmistakable. I lunged at the dumpling-man, aiming for Mr. Cursey. He laughed again and danced out of my reach. _Dammit, why couldn't he just stay still?!_

"Di? Ya in there, girl? I KINDA NEED YOUR HELP RIGHT ABOUT NOW!" I yelped. She had broken free of my sand and was attempting to smack me.

"You...ugh...idiot!" Diane said, struggling to speak through Fatso's control. I couldn't help but snicker. Even in the midst of battle, and while she's being controlled, she _still_ tries to insult me. "Li'l...busy!"

"Just HELP ME!" There was an opening to sock Di in the gut, so I took it. She fell back and I managed to grab Kain's arm. Wrenching the doll out of his hand, I kicked him where it hurts. Magically, in the same moment, Diane grabbed some of his hair as she swiped for me.

Fatso doubled over as Di froze into the position the doll was in. I quickly replaced her hair with his, and she regained control over her body. There was this _hatred_ in her eyes, directed toward Kain. What had happened to her? Whatever it was, it dragged her through hell and back, mentally.

As he went to get up, I slammed him back into the ground, repeatedly. Then, I stretched out his limbs as if to dismember him. I threw him, I juggled him, hell, I even played a game of catch with him. Let's just say that by the time I was done with him he was unable to ever bother anyone again.

Once I was satisfied with what I did, I made a miniature sand tornado and dropped Mr. Cursey into it. I turned to Diane. She was shaking, and when I reached out to touch her, she recoiled from my touch.

"Diane?" I asked, nervous. "A-are you okay?" She sniffled. Like, legitimately sniffled. "Are you crying? Tell me what's wrong, girl." Mavis, I wanted to just hug her and tell her that everything would be okay. But I couldn't. Not without freaking her the hell out.

"I-I...an-and he...Oh Mavis…" Diane mumbled. She started to fall, so I caught her. I held her up and could feel her tears soaking my shirt.

"Shhh," I hushed. Smoothing down her hair, I lightly kissed the top of her head. "It's gonna be okay, girl. I promise." At that, she broke down. Di was full-on sobbing into my chest and blubbering about what he did to her.

"I couldn't do anything...like a little voice in my head….it was all I could do not to kill you. I don't want to kill you!"

"I know, Di, I know. Alright, look at me. I will never ever, _ever_ let someone hurt you like that again, okay? I promise. Now, do you have enough juice in you to make one more teleport? You need to take us to the meeting point," I pleaded. She nodded sleepily, and then we were surrounded by our guild members.

"Mavis on a boat!" exclaimed Mira. "You scared me!" Then the silver-haired barmaid noticed the sleeping mage in my arms. "I think there's another open bed. What happened?" As she led me under the canopy they'd set up, that battle with Fatso caught up to me. I trudged to the last open sleeping bag. The others were occupied by Levy, Gajeel, Natsu, Lisanna, and Gramps. Wendy was leaning over the old man, her hands glowing with her magic. I laid Diane down and curled up next to her.

"I'll tell ya later," I said, holding Di to me as I fell asleep.

-X-x-X-

Wendy's POV

"I have no idea what's up, but something _really_ bad happened to Diane," I diagnosed. I was looking at her brain, and it was pretty screwed up. I zoomed in on her hippocampus to look at her memories. There was black, and then pain in her legs, waking up to Haja yanking on her legs, her screaming, trying to fight against this voice that was trying to get her to kill Haja, and the mental breakdown afterward. I went into her temporal lobe to try and give her a little peace.

Something gently slapped my wrist. I backed out of Diane's mind to find it was Haja who hit me, while asleep. Wow, that boy really loved her. Quickly, I went back in and added a little extra love to all her memories of Haja. Hopefully, that would be the push they needed to be together.

As I stood up, everyone who wasn't injured gathered around me, waiting to see what was wrong with Diane. "She and Haja were attacked by one of the Seven Kin. He looked like a dumpling. He also used some kind of possession magic to control her. Dumpling-man used Diane to fight against Haja. Now, she's a mental and emotional mess. Don't expect her to be super talkative. She has to recover by herself, on her own time," they snickered at that, "so all I did was give her a little peace."

"Thank you, Wendy," Mira said. Since Master was out, we all looked to her as the new Master. "Let's let them rest, and make a battle plan." Everyone nodded in agreement and we headed over to the table.

-X-x-X-

 **It seems I've been late twice in a row. Let's not make it a habit, shall we? Also, STILL SUPER SORRY ABOUT IT. I WILL TRY BETTER. Agh…. Ta ta!**


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